Post Memorial Day thoughts - and a little food.

Happy Memorial Day.  Heard that a lot yesterday.  I also heard a lot of people being interviewed "man on the street" style say they were "Happy that there are people willing to die for their freedom"  This all made me wonder if people actually think before they speak, post or act.  Happy is NOT a word I'd associate with Memorial Day, nor would I ever attach it to my feelings about the men and women that have served, are serving now, or will serve in the U.S. Military.  I truly appreciate their service, I honor their service, and give thanks for their service.  What would make me happy is for us not to need their service. Until that day comes, I will worry about them, pray for their safe return, support their families, and morn for them, if it comes to that.  But I won't be happy.  As for the day itself, I can't have a Happy Memorial Day, because of what it is.  It is a day when I think about all of my friends and relatives that have served or are serving, those I served with, and those I've lost to war.  Yes, there are some happy thoughts to be found here and there, but those are mine, for reasons that are mine, and not for the day. 

Jeez, this guy's a real bummer...sorry to have harshed your mellow, but that was my basic frame of mind yesterday.  That, and trying to stay upright - I went sans wheelchair to Julie's parents' house, armed with only a walker...quite the workout.  We had hot dogs, baked beans and tato chips n dip...good thing ketchup's a vegetable;)  SO, I'm going to dig a meal out of the archives (betcha didn't know I had archives, did you?) and let you check that one out:  Gluten-Free Flatbread  Pizza with a field green side salad.  You don't get the recipe for the side salad, I think you can handle it without instruction - send a message if you can't...here's a pic.

One of the advantages of gluten free breads for diabetics is the use of bean flours and other whole grains.  I do keep an eye out for potato starch as it's a popular ingredient in a lot of GF products, but the blood sugar meter tells me that eating gluten free is working.  The other reason for GF is that Julie has wheat allergies, making this a smart choice for both of us.  We found that she reduced her Zyrtec intake by over three quarters and no longer feels sick after eating.  So here's the how:

For the "crust" - you'll be making a gluten free flat bread, no leavening.

1 cup of GF flour (Bob's Red Mill works fine)
8-10 TBP of water
1/4 tsp of salt

Pre-heat oven to 350, and get a pan hot on the stovetop, lightly greased-just wiped with a little oil, don't use butter.  Measure the flour into a bowl, and add water - Start with 8 TBP of water, add more if the mix is too stiff.  You may need to fool around with water to flour ratios a bit, but if it's a bit runnier than pancake batter, you should be ok.  Whisk all ingredients together in the bowl, let it sit for 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly.  Spoon into the hot greased skillet  and shape into a round.  Like pancakes, when the edges look dry and it bubbles up through the middle, flip...these don't take long - you're looking for light browning, here.  If you add more water and go thin, you can make GF wraps this way, too.  Once cooked, you can use them like bread, wraps, stick them in the fridge for later...but if you're makin pizza, out them on a cookie sheet, top with your favorite topping and stick them in a 350 oven until the cheese melts.  I turned my broiler on for the last minute, cause I like brown bits of cheese;)

Happy Day After Memorial Day....DD

Yes, I have been busy busy...

Ok, I WAS hoping to do a daily blog, maybe too ambitious at first - I've been swamped with therapy, doctor's appointments and just trying to survive...cooking?  Yes, I have been cooking, and mostly chopped-style.  Open the mystery refrigerator, and make incorporate whatever's in there into an appetizer, entree and (maybe) a dessert.  Today wasn't too bad, I had bacon (Trader Joe's, uncured), eggs, and spinach - so I went with spinach salad with warm bacon dressing - easy, trim the spinach, chop some red or sweet onion, mix in a bowl.  Hard boil two eggs, and while they're getting done, fry up four or more strips o' bacon - your call, there.  I did four.  Reserve three tablespoons of bacon fat, drain and crumble the bacon.  Sprinkle the bacon over the spinach and onions, add three tablespoons of wine vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper to the bacon fat in a saucepan and whisk together while heating.  When heated, pour over the salad, dish into serving bowls, top with chopped hard boiled eggs.  Eat it on the porch.  Well, I did. 

I'll admit, I copped the image from the web, but mine looked a lot like the one pictured, and probably tasted better;)  Tonight's mystery basket is brown rice, chicken legs, broccoli and of course, my pantry items...

Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and other observations

Topic one: Global Accessibility Awareness Day.  It's today - and when I heard of it, I thought of people gathering to raise awareness about the disableds' accessibility in getting around, but according to the web site,  "This event is a community-driven effort with the goal to devote one day in the hopes of raising the profile of digital (web, software, mobile app/device, touch screen kiosk, etc.) accessibility and people with different disabilities."  This is not a bad thing.  I like it.  But what I'd really like it a long, hard look at sidewalks, cutouts, ramps, aisle widths, seating and things like that.  I've been stuck on cutout ramps designed for wheelchairs, those nifty little bumps don't help and I wonder if anyone tested them.  I'm just looking for help getting to the store and back...for me, this means wheeling down the hall to the elevator, squeezing into the elevator, arriving at the Lobby, going through two doors that are not automatic, going around a tilted, narrow sidewalk, crossing the parking lot to another sidewalk, going to to the crosswalk, waiting for the light which is WAY too short, onto another sidewalk, and then I have to cross the back parking lot of a big shopping center, because the sidewalk doesn't go around.  The access to the center itself is a steep cutout with a metal plate covered with 1/4 inch bumps, and my chair gets stuck trying to go up it.  It's like this at a lot of places I've been to, surfaces are cracked, tilted to one side or there is no sidewalk, when in a store often aisles that would be wide enough are filled with temporary displays that I can't get around - I back up and turn around a lot, and often can't get to items I want.  I'd love to be independent, but I live in a walking world...

Topic two:  Gluten-free zones...I was watching the news yesterday, and there was a story on this "New gluten-free craze" going around...craze?  The story went on to point out facts regarding Celiac Disease, but made no mention of wheat allergies or sensitiviy, and had a doctor on to state how bad a gluten-free diet was for people.  His main point was vitamins, B vitamins, and how there are fortified wheat products you should be consuming in order to get them.  The only issue I would see is vegans and B-12, because there is no really great plant-based source of B12, BUT, there are enriched soy milk and cereals, if you're a vegan, make sure you get your B12, ok? B vitamins are important for your health...good sources of B's are lentils, bananas, green veggies, whole grains (not just wheat) and meat products.

Last, but not least, Topic three:  Sugar, Corn Sugar and me...TV commercials (paid for by the Corn industry) claim that your body doesn't know the difference - maybe, maybe not, but too much of either will get you in trouble - in my case, I got type II diabetes.  Nowdays, I use fruit juice, applesauce, agave syrup (don't tell me it's evil, I think the corn industry is trying to sabotage it) and a product called whey-low for sweeteners, if I need sweet.  'nuff said

"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"
Albert Camus

Warning...answers may come...

This blog is for people who know how to cook simple, basic food.  I'm doing it that way because that's how most folks eat, and there are plenty of foodie-type cooking channel watching bloggers out there.  I want to share what I cook and eat to help keep my diabetes under control, though I do wish it would keep the paraplegic part under control, but alas, it doesn't work that way;)  Recipes will be loose and fast, but should be enough to allow the reader to figure it out - and, you can always ask questions.  Fair warning - I may answer you.  This dish is roasted and glazed chicken leg with mashed sweet potato and arugula salad with blueberry vinaigrette.

Pretty straightforward food, and not expensive.  I roasted a bunch of chicken legs in the oven at 375, brushing them with a mixture of maple syrup and a little soy sauce.  The sweet potatoes were also roasted, then peeled and mashed, though you could conventionally boil and mash them.  I added one tablespoon of maple syrup and a tablespoon of butter to 4 large potatoes, adding just a hint of sweet and richness.  The salad is simply arugula, topped with a dressing made with blueberries, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, and olive oil.  I cooked down 1/2 cup of blueberries with a couple tablespoons of water, mashed it up and strained it, then added the mustard, s&p and drizzled in the oil while whisking the mixture with a fork, then added a few whole berries to make it, well, pretty.  Before the meal, my blood sugar was 90, two hours after, it was 110.  Not too shabby, and it made for a night light dinner.

Tomorrow, I will introduce myself a bit better to those of you who stumbled across this blog, and felt compelled to read it through, including how it came to have that incredibly odd title, and how it relates to me.

"Everyone has his burden. What counts is how you carry it."
--Merle Miller

New Kid in Town

Hello, World - My name is Dave, and as you can see from the Blog title I am going to hopefully be posting a daily blog, possibly blogs, about cooking food that diabetics can enjoy and as indicated, I may wax philosophical along the way - though that may evolve into a blog all its' own.  This is merely a greeting to let you know I'm here and what I'm up to, though I will share a picture of one of the meals I have created as a teaser.

The sandwich is a ham and swiss on a whole wheat roll, it's the eggplant chips that are the focus here.  Small Japanese eggplant sliced thin on my mandolin, then dredged in fine ground cornmeal and fried quickly.  I'm getting photos and recipes lined up to launch, so keep an eye peeled (ow!) Namaste,

DD